SOUTH BEND — A year ago, Brian Kelly stood at this same lectern and took ownership for the disastrous previous season. He talked about being accountable for his team’s missteps going 4-8, changes he was making to himself and to his program. This is a story that's been told many different times by now.

Kelly opened the 2018 season Thursday with a 40-minute news conference. He discussed some of the same themes from last August, but with a different tone. He said there’s a “high level of accountability” building off last season’s culture change, his players “relish the challenge” of a difficult schedule that includes 10 games against Power 5 opponents, and he has a staff of “great communicators.”

There are more questions to be answered over the next month before Notre Dame hosts No. 14 Michigan on Sept. 1. The Fighting Irish begin practice at their usual spot an hour south of South Bend at Culver Academies on Friday. Once things get rolling, we’ll start to get a better picture of whether Kelly can lead this team to a consecutive 10-win season, something that hasn't happened in more than 25 years.

Until then, here are a few things we learned from Kelly’s first news conference of the season:

1. Grading Brandon Wimbush’s offseason

Brandon Wimbush completed 49.5 percent of his passes and threw 16 touchdowns to six interceptions in his rookie season last year. Things started off well, as he completed 51.5 percent of his passes and the Irish sprinted to an 8-1 start. Then things fell apart in every way on the road against Miami. He couldn’t get back into his groove the rest of the season, completed 44 percent of his passes in the final four games, and ultimately ended the year on the bench as backup Ian Book led the Irish to a Citrus Bowl victory over LSU.

“A+ in the offseason for Brandon Wimbush,” Kelly said. “What I was looking for in this offseason was much more vocal, holding players to a high level of accountability. He didn’t have that last year. He was kind of trying to figure out himself in a lot of ways, and not that he’s got all the answers, he wouldn’t tell you that. But I think he clearly has a confidence about him that he lacked at times last year.”

Despite having a quarterback competition in the spring, Kelly is sticking with Wimbush. There won’t be a two-quarterback system in place for the Michigan game as Kelly has done in the past, most recently with DeShone Kizer and Malik Zaire.

“Brandon comes out into preseason camp as the No. 1, Ian’s No. 2, Phil (Jurkovec) is No. 3 and we hope that we have great competition, which we will, and Brandon is going to have to compete,” Kelly said. “He can’t sleepwalk through this and he knows that, because Ian deserves the opportunity, too, to compete for the position, and they will get that opportunity.”

If Wimbush can be consistent and confident though, Kelly believes he can be the best quarterback in the country.

“When he’s confident, there’s nobody that will stop this offense because everybody believes in Brandon Wimbush,” he said. “If he walks out there and he is confident in what he’s doing, he has the Larry Bird effect on everybody where everybody raises their play because if Brandon’s confident, we’ve seen what happens when he’s a confident player.”

2. Learn Houston Griffith's name

Don’t be surprised if Notre Dame has two new faces starting at safety this year. One could likely be Navy transfer Alohi Gilman, who sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules. Another could be a youngster who hasn’t received much attention yet — freshman Houston Griffith.

The former four-star prospect from IMG Academy in Florida enrolled at Notre Dame early and has been impressing the coaching staff on the field and in the weight room.

Kelly isn’t the type to gush about a player if he doesn’t think he’ll make an impact. Thursday, he spent some time talking about the 5-11, 204-pound freshman’s versatility and “functional intelligence.” Kelly will play him at safety — a position group that didn’t record a single interception last fall — but he's skilled enough to also play cornerback.

“He can diagnose, he can see things, he reacts quickly to things in front of him,” Kelly said. “I would say first of all, the skill-set is high at that safety position for him because he could play corner, and then the functional intelligence in which he plays the position.

“Age really doesn’t become a disqualifier for him.”

3. Questions about the running game

Josh Adams is in the NFL and the offensive line is replacing top-10 draft picks Quenton Nelson and Mike McGlinchey, so offensive coordinator Chip Long is going to have to get creative with his running game this season. Last year the unit was ranked seventh in the nation, rushing for 269.3 yards per game on 6.25 yards per carry.

Irish running backs carried the ball 362 times last season, and Adams accounted for 206 of those touches. Returning players Tony Jones Jr. and Dexter Williams, who battled injuries last season, had just 83 between them.

Williams could be suspended for the first four games due to undisclosed disciplinary reasons. So who will be carrying the load? Enter a crew including former wide receiver Jafar Armstrong, converted quarterback Avery Davis, and freshmen Jahmir Smith and C’Bo Flemister.

It will certainly be an intriguing bunch to watch over the next month. Kelly was asked how he will divvy up reps in camp.

“They get close to 400 different opportunities to touch the football (in fall camp),” Kelly said. “So we should be able to make sure that all players, as they continue to develop their skills, we can also get a glimpse of what they’re capable of. There are so many opportunities for us to get the work for us to get a really good evaluation.”

4. Phil Jurkovec will compete

During the early signing period last December, Kelly said he wanted Jurkovec to push Wimbush once he got on campus. That mindset hasn’t changed, but don’t expect Jurkovec to necessarily be battling for the starting job yet.

In the spring, the quarterback competition consisted of Wimbush and Book. With Jurkovec in the picture, how is Kelly splitting reps?

“I want him to learn,” Kelly said. “We are not going to rush him into anything. There are going to be more opportunities for Phil to get in there and compete during camp with all eyes on him. I really think it’s going to be great for him. It allows us to focus on Brandon and on Ian’s development, because there still needs to be some development there, but I think we can do all three."

At this point, it would appear Jurkovec could benefit from the NCAA’s new redshirt rule allowing a freshman to play four games without losing a year of eligibility.

5. Will Chase Claypool run with the first team?

One of the most intriguing positions to watch during camp will be the wide receivers. Last year the passing game never got going and that was partly due to Wimbush’s own struggles and partly due to receivers not making plays.

Chase Claypool is Notre Dame’s leading returning receiver, hauling in 29 catches for 402 yards and two touchdowns last year. At 6-4, 227, he’s a daunting matchup for any defensive back. Except, according to Kelly, he has valued his talent over the important traits that must be displayed by every Irish player in order to get playing time.

Coming off a shoulder injury, Claypool ran with the second team in the spring. Where will he be when practice begins Friday?

“I think it’s consistent in messaging that you’re going to get on the field if your attention to these things are better,” Kelly said. “And I think just being consistent with him. He made a choice that they mean it, and I’m not going to get the kind of playing time that I want unless I’m taking care of my business academically and I’m being a great teammate. Not that he wasn’t, but just understanding what it means to be a great teammate, attention to detail, all of the traits that we’ve talked about before.”

If Claypool can figure things out, he, along with Miles Boykin and Michael Young, should be able to create a much-improved passing game this season.